FILE PHOTO: Wiremen conducts maintenance works. INQUIRER / RICHARD A. REYES
MANILA, Philippines — Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps beneficiaries may avail themselves of electricity bill discounts starting January 2024, Senator Win Gatchalian said Monday.
Under Republic Act 11552 or the Act Extending and Enhancing the Implementation of the Lifeline Rate, an electricity subsidy is provided to qualified household beneficiaries. Gatchalian authored the measure.
Gatchalian said the program applies to households who cannot pay their bills, or customers considered to be living below the poverty threshold set by the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The senator urged 4Ps beneficiaries to register in the government’s lifeline electricity rate program to qualify for the discount.
“Pamaskong handog ito para sa mga kababayan nating sadyang hirap sa buhay. Palalawigin pa ng gobyerno ang subsidiya sa kuryente pagdating ng Enero 2024,” Gatchalian said.
(This is a Christmas gift for our countrymen who are struggling in life. The government will extend the electricity subsidy until January 2024.)
READ: Gov’t to launch Lifeline Rate power subsidy program in September
Gatchalian said a tripartite body composed of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Energy, and Energy Regulatory Commission must ensure that the registration for the program shall not be complicated for Filipinos. He added that information dissemination about the subsidy must be done to reach as many beneficiaries as possible.
He also noted that the implementation of the lifeline rate program was moved from September 2023 to January 2024 to allow the enlistment of more 4Ps beneficiaries.
“We pushed for this measure because we wanted more people to benefit from the subsidy program,” Gatchalian said.
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The subsidy program aims to help electricity consumers negatively affected by the instability of fuel prices and high prices of basic commodities, he also said.
Beneficiaries shall only consume a maximum of 100 kilowatt-hours of monthly electricity to qualify for the subsidy, according to Gatchalian, adding that the power reduction rate varies depending on the rates of the distribution utilities or electric cooperatives.
He said that for customers of the Manila Electric Company or Meralco, the subsidy could range from 20 percent to 100 percent, depending on how much electricity is consumed.